Meatloaf once sang that "Two outta three ain't bad." For Cal MBB coach Mark Fox, that's just good news for a team that needs it.
After longtime MBB commit Charles Smith IV asked out of his letter of intent, both Joel Brown and DJ Thorpe reaffirmed their commitments to the Golden Bears.
First came Brown, the Brewster Academy point guard, originally from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Fox made his way up north for an in-home visit last week, and despite Brown's main recruiter in David Grace now being at Vanderbilt, Brown decided to stay with the Bears.
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When he committed last October, Eric Bossi had this to say about Brown.
"One of the top point guards in the country, Brown is athletic and tough. He gets to the rim, isn't afraid to take jumpers and has all of the tools to be a dynamic defender at some point during his career in the Pac 12."
Brown was a key piece in leading Brewster Academy to a national prep championship back in March, and the lefty point guard is a skilled passer and driver.
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Next, DJ Thorpe reaffirmed his commitment. Thorpe, from Lake Travis HS in Austin, had his season prematurely ended due to an ankle injury, but is a skilled big man, something that Bossi noted about him back in September.
"Thorpe has the tools to be (a reliable low post scorer) in Berkeley. He can make the jump shot from the free throw line area, he's got tremendous feel in the low post and he's a sneaky athlete with a body to build on. Having watched him develop over the past couple of years I'm betting on him ending up a productive Pac-12 player."
Before the injury, he was reportedly developing an outside shot, something that should help him in the pick and pop game. With Cal needing bigs, the 6'9", 230 lb Thorpe is just what the doctor ordered. He's ranked by Rivals as a top 150 recruit in the country.
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There's still a ways to go before the roster is set. Connor Vanover, Juhwan Harris- Dyson and Justice Sueing are still in the transfer portal. That'd leave only seven scholarship players for next year if none of them return. This is a start, not the end, but it's welcome news for a program that hasn't had too much of it.
Baseball Bounces Back
Cal baseball blew a 7-3 lead Thursday against UCLA, the top team in the nation. The Bears made sure that didn't happen in game two. Pitcher Jared Horn befuddled Bruin hitters on his way to 10 strikeouts on the evening, while both Cameron Eden and Andrew Vaughn hit home runs in the top of the 7th to break a 1-1 tie.
Vaughn, last years' Golden Spikes Award winner for the best player in college baseball, destroyed a hanging curve to make it 4-1 in the top of the seventh.
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The Bears currently sit at 20-13 with 19 games to go in the season. They have one more against UCLA with two home series against Stanford and ASU, two of the other top teams in the Pac-12, games that'll be of great importance come tournament selection time. A win today against the Bruins would go a long way.
Paster
Cal football's also set to host Trey Paster next week. Paster, one of NorCal's top athlete recruits, has visited the Bears multiple times in 2019. He's being targeted as a flexible defensive back, one who could play either cornerback or safety, and has been a priority recruit for the Bears since his offer back in February.
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